Saturday 30 May 2015

Lymington Bus Station closes / News round up

As well as the X24 launching, last weekend also saw the closure of Lymington Bus Station. All routes serving Lymington therefore have new timetables, so check with Bluestar, More or Traveline before travelling.

Bluestar's Forest Bus Baby has also launched as a tourist route between Hythe and Ringwood via Beaulieu and Brockenhurst.

From tomorrow, Sunday 31st May, there's a new timetable on First 6 to Hamble. Not entirely sure what has changed, but check before you travel to be on the safe side.

First X4 and X5 have some minor changes from 19th June. See the new timetables here: X4 X5.

Bluestar 3 is rerouted via Northam from 21st June. It will no longer serve Peartree and Woolston, which means that Peartree will be left with no Sunday buses. New timetable here.

Bluestar 11 and 12 also get a new timetable from the same date, but it looks like only minor changes.

Wheelers H1/H2 in Hythe have a new timetable from 22nd June.

Friday 22 May 2015

Xelabus X24 to Paulton's Park starts tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the first day of Xelabus X24 running from Bitterne to Paulton's Park, limited stop via Woolston, the city centre, Central Station, Shirley, Lordshill, North Baddesley and Romsey.

Here's the timetable:


And here is a list of all stops served. Please note that it only serves the stops listed, so even though it runs through Peartree and Maybush for example, you can't board the bus there:



See local area maps with the stop locations here.

If you need to connect from another route run by a different operator, you can use a Solent Go regional ticket.

For those travelling from further afield, the X24 also calls at Southampton Central and Romsey railway stations.

Further buses to and from Paulton's Park are provided by Salisbury Reds X7, on which Solent Go is also valid.

Monday 11 May 2015

Summer New Forest route revealed / First managers online

First are having another 'Meet the Manager' session online this Thursday. Details here.

In other news, the route and timetable of Bluestar's Hythe to Ringwood summer-only route have been revealed. It has the provisional route number FBB and will serve Hythe, Beaulieu (including the National Motor Museum), Brockenhurst (including the railway station), Ringwood and Moors Valley Country Park. It will run hourly every Saturday, Sunday and bank holiday from 24th May until 31st October. See the timetable here. Here is the route:


Also from 24th May, all routes serving Lymington get a new timetable due to the closure of the bus station. All buses will now terminate at on-street stops on the town. Here are your links for the new timetables:




Bluestar 6 will also have a new timetable, but it's not yet been released. We'll let you know as soon as it's out. Edit: Bluestar 6 becomes more frequent from that date. See the new timetable here and a leaflet for the Forest Bus network here.

More 112 will become The Beach Bus again this year, but not until 26th July.

Tuesday 5 May 2015

Election this Thursday: It's Labour and Green for bus passengers

It is customary for the newspapers to back a political party when it comes to a general election. With their importance waning, it is only right that blogs can do the same thing too.

When it comes to buses, there is a clear choice. We have seen many cuts in the last five years, administered by local authorities, but absolutely as part of a grander plan by the national government.

If the Conservatives form the next government, you can expect more bus services to be cut. Many areas that are connected now are likely to see their bus services lose subsidy and therefore cease to operate. Some lucky areas will only lose evening and Sunday services, but others, especially rural areas, could be cut off completely. For anyone without a car it would represent a major curtailment of the freedom of movement. It would also be bad news for the wider local economy as people are more limited in what jobs they can apply for, meaning companies have a smaller pool of people to recruit from. Those switching to the car will mean more congestion, so that everyone's journeys will take longer and cost more.

This blog therefore believes that a Labour-led government would be best for the country as a whole and for local bus passengers in particular. In seats where they stand a chance, I urge you to vote for the Labour Party.

In this multi-party age however, we can't ignore the smaller parties who often have even better and more sustainable ideas than the larger ones. So in those areas where Labour doesn't have a chance of being elected, I urge you to find out more about and vote for the Green Party.


In Southampton Itchen and Southampton Test, vote Labour.

In Eastleigh, Winchester, Romsey & Southampton North and New Forest East, vote Green.